"I worship the God of our fathers

As a follower of The Way"
(Acts 24:14)

The Most Important Biblical Truth To Know And Understand!

Yeshua/Jesus Warned:

“Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?”

(Mark 4:13 KJV)

The Seed-Word of God is sown in the hearts of all of mankind -- and it is each person's thinking, mindset and lifestyle that enables the Living-Word to grow, evolve and bloom.  Jesus taught that the Word of God is not written in books or scrolls by the hand of men.  As Jesus taught, it is the thinking of this world -- the lifestyle of the people of this world -- and is portrayed as the satanic influence that inhibits the Word of God from flourishing within you.  It is not a matter of belief in a person or a god promoted by the people of this world.  Neither is it a matter of your alignment with a church or religious group of this world.  It is a matter of becoming the "good ground" that enables the Seed-Word planted within you, to grow and bloom.

The Key to understanding the Gospels and all of Life, is founded upon a person's understanding of the parable of the Sower and the Seed.  Moreover, the parable is relevant to many levels of understanding as a seeker begins their climb upon the rungs of the proverbial Jacob's Ladder (see Jacob's Ladder http://CausalFactor.Nazirene.org#JacobsLadder ).  Jesus taught that the Kingdom is within you -- which provokes the question: If the Kingdom is within me, then why can't I connect and enter it?  The original followers of Jesus who walked and talked with him daily, witnessed to the fact that Jesus was a man who fulfilled the Law within his own mind and being (see Jesus Fulfilled The Law http://OriginalGospel.Ebionite.com#JesusFulfilledTheLaw ), and this enabled him to become Anointed (Messiah/Christ) -- and enter into a Coverture-Union with the Mind of God (see Coverture-Marriage - Was Jesus God? http://BrotherOfJesus.org#CovertureMarriage ) -- and great truth has been restored in the Original Gospel (see http://OriginalGospel.Ebionite.com ) -- as has been the suppressed teachings on The Law (see http://TheLawOfOctaves.com ).  Lastly, when rightly understood, the parable of the Sower and the Seed presents the next subsequent three stages of birth that every person must bring about and achieve, in order to fulfill the promise of the Gospel of entering into Life (see Stages Of Birth http://GospelCosmology.Ebionite.com#StagesOfBirth ).   

Every Bible should open to Mark 4:13 and the parable of the Sower and the Seed -- i.e., "Then Jesus said to them, Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?".   In order to go beyond that one verse, and read the rest of the scriptures so as to gain insight and understanding into the true spiritual meaning of what is being presented by the authors, the person should be required to demonstrate that they understand what this parable is stating.   Why?   While the great multitude of people who read the scriptures believe they understand what is being presented, because they fail to comprehend the important truth in the parable of the Sower and the Seed, they merely read their own often wishful doctrines of belief into their understanding.   Jesus in fact warned that because the great multitude of hearers failed to understand the parable of the Sower and the Seed, that they would only hear, what they already believed -- and nothing more!   Thus, the great looming reality of the words that nearly all readers of the scriptures perpetually ignore, is seen in the warning:

“Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?”

The Great Law that is reflected in the parable of the Sower and the Seed is summed up in the reality that you can never possess any greater level of truth, than you are willing live and manifest in word, thought, desire and deed (see The Eyes Only See At The Level Of Comprehension http://TheLawOfOctaves.com#TheEyesOnlySee  ).   What Jesus is stating, is that you can read the scriptures every day of your life, and never understand the true spiritual meaning.   You can attend the finest schools, read what man would consider the most informative and scholarly books, and study the wisdom of the greatest minds  of mankind, and the scriptures as well as the true meaning of life itself, will remain a great enigma to you -- and this is by Divine Design.  Why?  As Jesus taught those followers and disciples who walked and talked with him daily, The Laws of Creation tests your every thought and impression in the development of your own mind (see The Law Of The Gospels http://TheLawOfTheGospels.com ).   Only those thoughts that are Whole, can develop your mind -- i.e., "They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Mark 2:17).  And only those individual thoughts and impressions can evolve the seed in the parable of the Sower and the Seed.

To His Disciples Jesus Said:

“The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding”

(Mark 4:11-12)

Mark 4:1-9 (NKJ)

1 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.

2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:

3 "Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.

4 "And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.

5 "Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.

6 "But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.

7 "And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.

8 "But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

9 And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

  The Perfect Seed: What the parable of the sower dispels is the notion of most Messianic and Christian faith-based believers that it does not matter how we live, once we have received the Word of God in the form of the Gospel message.  This misconception can be compared to a man who desires to plant a vineyard, and having procured the finest seedlings ever developed, attempts to plant these seedlings in a desert.   Regardless of the fact that we possess the most perfect seedlings ever known to man, when we live our lives in the manner of a spiritually barren wasteland, the vineyard that we envision can never manifest and become a reality.

In our quest to demonstrate this fact we must ask what the Bible states: In the parable of the sower (Mt 13:1-58; Mk 4:1-20; Lk 8:4-56), Jesus taught that the Word could only be fruitful when it was planted in the proper environment.  

The Word that fell upon the ground at the side of The Way, could not become fruitful because Satan takes away what was sown.  And if we pose the question as to where was the seed sown?  The scriptures states “...the word that was sown in their hearts” (Mark 4:15 KJV) -- thus we can see that the thinking, mindset and lifestyle of this world as personified in Satan, has the power to alienate us from our own true inner spiritual reality.  

And who are the people who can be likened to the Word sown on stony ground?   The Bible says that they receive the Word with gladness -- in our own time they would be seen as people who proclaim that Jesus is their personal Lord and savoir -- they call themselves by his name, and they profess to be the people of God.   But because they “have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended” (Mark 4:17 KJV).  

What does it mean to have no root?   When Yeshua taught that the Kingdom is within us (Luke 17:20-21), and that he is the true vine, we must understand that as the branches who are to flourish in the Word in this world, we must bear fruit: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful" (John 15:1-2 NIV). 

The root of man is his connection to the Kingdom within the essence of his being.   If this root is healthy, then the Spirit and Knowledge of the Kingdom will flow from its inner Source to bring about the growth of the disciple.   If, the believer embodies the symbol of the dog, and the believer clings to the doctrines and traditions of other men -- failing to learn from the One Teacher -- then the Genuine Knowledge that can only be received from the inner Kingdom is negated, and the root that carries the life-giving Spirit and Truth is severed -- as seen in the words: "...my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit".

And who are those people who can be likened to the Word sown among thorns?   Again we see the problem being when these people cling to the things of this world -- i.e., its culture, doctrines and materialism -- anything that draws the consciousness of the believer away from the inner Kingdom, and fixates their attentiveness and focus of being in the outer world -- as seen in the words: “And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful” (Mark 4:19 KJV).

As we can readily see, the Bible itself warns that the Word cannot be planted anywhere we choose -- i.e., it cannot be planted by the side of The Way, upon the stony ground, or among thorns -- but rather, only in the environment of what Jesus calls the “good ground”.   When it is realized that the “good ground” is symbolic of our state of mind and body, then we must recognize that our whole conception of the teachings of The Way as a purely faith-based revelation, is seriously flawed.

Again we see the paradox!  If all that was required was to have faith and profess the name of the Lord, then there would be no purpose in teaching the concepts found in the parable of the sower and the seed.   Moreover, we have the frightening declaration of the Lord to all who would call themselves his followers that: “Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?” (Mark 4:13 KJV) -- or, in the wording of a the modern language New Living Translation: “But if you can’t understand this story, how will you understand all the others I am going to tell?”

Those people who preach that the Word of God is universal to any and all environments -- or that the meaning of the Bible is plain, and can be easily understood -- simply do not comprehend the very first principles of what this verse of scripture proclaims to all who would call themselves the people of God.   Moreover, the Bible itself puts us on notice that only the people who are the good ground, are able to even begin to understand the true meaning of the scriptures -- i.e., “But if you can’t understand this story, how will you understand all the others I am going to tell?”

Contrary to what we choose to believe in our present time, what this parable tells us is that in the same way that we cannot plant seedlings from a fine vineyard in the desert -- among thorn bushes -- or on rocky ground -- neither can we plant the Word of God in any cultural or doctrinal mindset.   How do we know this?   Because Jesus said that if we try, then we will be ignoring the very first principles of the Gospel -- and regardless of what we profess with our lips, we will remain spiritually unfruitful.    And that men of an organic mindset attempt to understand what their very minds are incapable of perceiving and comprehending, is why Jesus spoke only to the multitudes in parables -- and why he explained to his disciples when asked: “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding” (Mark 4:11-12 NIV).   And this inability for the believers of the simple faith to comprehend the Mysteries of God was confirmed by Paul who wrote: “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ” (1 Cor 3:1).   Thus, these believers could only be taught the doctrine of Jesus Christ and him crucified (1 Cor 2:2), because they were not yet spiritual men -- but rather, they were men of flesh and still very much “babes in Christ”.   Paul then explains that: “I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able” (1 Cor 3:2).

The Living Word must be planted in the body and mindset of a disciple who is portrayed as the “good ground” in order to grow.   Every teaching and concept that Jesus spoke must be envisioned as an essential truth that sprang forth from the biblical foundation that existed at the beginning of our Common Era.   In the same way that a seedling cannot exist apart from the ground within which it is planted, the Bible itself warns us that the purity of the Word cannot flourish within any culture or manner of thinking we attempt to transplant it into.   Unless the word that is preached to you is planted and nurtured within the “good ground” and the same biblical foundation as that which Jesus revealed it from, then it cannot be the genuine Word of God.

The spiritual concepts that are taught in this parable are of such an exalted magnitude, that they should be seen as the very starting place for all those who desire to know anything of any genuine import.   In order to live a life of genuine substance, the life of every child should be molded in accordance with the concepts revealed in this parable -- a parable that is so important to those in pursuit of all Knowledge, both secular and religious, that Jesus warned the people: “And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?” (Mark 4:13 KJV).   And to put this great biblical truth in the more modern language of the New Living Translation: “But if you can't understand this story, how will you understand all the others I am going to tell?”

You can’t!   If you fail to understand the meaning of this parable, then you can never comprehend a single truth of any great importance.   Moreover, I confirm this well defined biblical statement with respect to all of man’s endeavors in his quest to know himself and his true role in the vision of Creation.   It makes no difference if you are a man of faith, science, or philosophy, unless you understand the meaning of this parable in relation to your own life, then you can never know anything of a genuine value and significance.  

We are a people of very limited perception who dwell in a confusing world.   Any student of history must conclude that the most intelligent men throughout all ages have continually been wrong in their ideas pertaining to every aspect of life.   Both the world of science and religion in our own time are as little ships afloat on a sea of confusion.   The truly intelligent person must ask why?   Why has the mind of man dwelled in the darkness of this world for so long?   If the universe is indeed the work of a Supreme Being, then it is reasonable to ask where the answer to man’s great dilemma lies?

There is of course many who will say that the Gospel message was universal, and was put forth for all mankind to read, believe, and affirm their faith!   Many would like to believe this, but the scriptures themselves clearly reveal to us that it is the exact opposite which is true.   When Jesus taught the people, he spoke to the multitudes by parables, and only his disciples were instructed in a plain and straightforward manner.   What this means is that whoever listened to him speak and teach, heard stories about life that each hearer interpreted in accordance with their own understanding.   Fundamentally, then, what each person heard was often not a great revelation of truth -- but rather, very much within the limitations of their own patterns of belief.  

When Jesus was questioned as to why he taught in this manner, he very clearly said: “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding” (Mark 4:11-12 NIV).   In view of the fact that what Jesus called the “secrets of the Kingdom of God” was not taught to the multitude of people who listened to him speak, the question that every believer today must ask is: Why would Jesus not speak plainly to everyone who would listened?

To begin, we must ask ourselves what a parable is?   Based upon church dogma, some people today erroneously believe that a parable makes a teaching more plain and easier to understand.   In demonstration of this misconception, in some modern Bible translations such as that used by the Jehovah's Witnesses, the word parable is rendered illustration.   Why?   Because this is what these religious organizations want to believe -- i.e., it affirms the validity of their quasi-Darwinist manner of thinking -- and it is beyond their comprehension to understand why Jesus would reveal to one group of people a different revelation than another group of people.    

The Bible itself declares this modern-day common assumption with respect to the parables to be false, and clearly states that just the opposite is true.   In explanation of the above words of Jesus, the Wycliffe Commentary writes that: “…the initiate was instructed in the esoteric teaching of the cult, which was not revealed to outsiders… The mystery of the kingdom in its ultimate development is the full-orbed message of the Gospel (Rom 16:25-26). The purpose of parables was to instruct the initiates without revealing the items of instruction to the ones who were without. This is in keeping with the Biblical principle that spiritual understanding is restricted to those who have become spiritual...”  

In our present-day preaching of the gospel, there is no room for the concept of an “initiate”!   Yet, we continue to alienate ourselves from a higher perception of the Word, so long as we fail to acknowledge that Jesus was not all-inclusive, and it was his disciples who were the initiates into what the Bible states are the Secrets of the Kingdom of God.   The key to understanding what is actually being portrayed in the scriptures, is when we open our eyes to what the Bible actually states, and we permit ourselves to become cognizant of the great truth that “spiritual understanding is restricted to those who have become spiritual”.   Dogs, swine, complacent believers, unbelievers, can never understand the true meaning of the parables or the spiritual essence of the Gospel!   And if we ask, what this rather astute observation in the Wycliffe Commentary means to us today?   In Jesus’ own words what he plainly said was a truth that has its parallels in every aspect of our lives: The Sacred Knowledge of the Kingdom did not belong to everyone -- but rather, it belonged only to those who were found worthy to hear the higher revelations of truth.   The problem that inhibits our ability to fully understand this well-defined biblical Truth, is seen in the continual assertion that the worthiness of each person to hear these mysteries taught only to the initiates, was predetermined prior to their even being born -- which is a revelation that is simply beyond our doctrinal comprehension in our present time.  

The idea that only a small group of people would be taught the Mysteries of God -- and that they were chosen to hear these Mysteries at a time before they were even born -- is so troubling to the people of the simple faith, that the majority of modern-day Christians simply choose to ignore this paramount biblical doctrine.   They therefore not only close their eyes and hearts to the message of the Bible they claim to champion, but they sever themselves from the revelation of the indwelling Word they continually petition with their lips to bestow upon them.   

Very clearly, the concept simply makes no reasonable sense to their manner of thinking.   In our desire to see Jesus as the savior of all people, we are unable to accept what the Bible openly proclaims -- i.e., that Jesus came to call the few, and the calling of these few was predetermined before they were even born into that life.   In view of what the Bible actually states, our present-day belief that Jesus preached an all-inclusive doctrine is from a biblical perspective, a defective and flawed doctrine.   Moreover, those who read the Bible and continue to tell people otherwise, are simply lying to the flock of believers in order further the cause of traditional church doctrines, and ultimately maintain control over the congregations.

What each person must decide is in fact that same exact question that was set before the Sadducees and Pharisees when Jesus physically walked this earth -- i.e., whether you desire truth or tradition!   How important is this knowledge of predestination to our own personal salvation?   It is impossible for us to walk in The Way, and not understand why only a chosen few were taught the Mysteries of God, while the majority of listeners were given what the Apostle Paul calls the milk of the gospel.   It is impossible for us to be born again, and to be genuine followers of the Son of God, unless we understand and embrace this great spiritual fact.   In recognition of this indisputable biblical revelation, if we are to become serious followers of the Christ, we must first come to the realization that what we presently possess in the form of the modern Gospel message, is nothing more than what was given to the multitudes of the people at the time that Jesus preached the Word of God.  

Can You Just Read The Bible, And Discern The Truth?  In even a very casual reading of the Bible we can readily observe the existence of numerous instances where the Mysteries and Secrets of God are made reference to, but not one place where even a hint is given regarding the nature of these Mysteries that are not in any manner revealed to the reader of the scriptures.   In what can only be portrayed as a complete denial of what the Bible actually states, the Church has totally rejected the very warning of the disciple Peter and the Lord's Brother Jacob/James in the Epistle by their name (see Epistle Of Peter And James), where it is written: "Hear me, brethren and fellow-servants. If we should give the books to all indiscriminately, and they should be corrupted by any daring men, or be perverted by interpretations, as you have heard that some have already done, it will remain even for those who really seek the truth, always to wander in error.   Wherefore it is better that they should be with us, and that we should  communicate them with all the fore-mentioned care to those who wish to live piously, and to save others."   While Jesus revealed the higher reality of the soul and the secret teachings of the Kingdom only to his most faithful of disciples who had become the "good ground" in the parable of the sower and the seed -- i.e., “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding” -- the reality of these words are so profound, that Peter and Jacob/James warned that if this secret knowledge is lost, that "...it will remain even for those who really seek the truth, always to wander in error" -- and while the modern Church remains in denial, the Christian world today dwells in a Spiritual Diaspora brought about by the fact that they ignore and fail to understand what is taught in the parable of the Sower and the Seed.   

Thus, to the Christian world's own spiritual demise, the congregation of believers are clearly warned that those Sacred Truths which the Apostle refers to as the “meat”, or “solid food” of the Gospel message, is missing -- but in religious practice and the structure of our modern Churches, there exists a great void in the message that is preached from the multitude of pulpits -- a message that all but ignores the most important element of what Yeshua/Jesus taught.   Is this message important to us?   Once it is recognized that what the New Testament clearly proclaims is that believers today haven't got the slightest clue as to the nature of what Jesus said was the very life-giving teachings of the Word -- which teachings were concealed in the Mysteries that Jesus taught that did not belong to the common hearer and believer of the Gospel message -- an important message that was reserved only for his faithful disciples in private.   Once this well defined biblical reality is acknowledged, it can then be said that the modern believer can rightfully be compared to an elementary school student who has quit school, and yet dwells under the delusion that they are educated.  

One of the primary problems that inhibits the modern Christian from understanding the true spiritual meaning of the Gospel -- i.e., the "milk" vs "the solid food" of the Gospel -- and it is this important spiritual meaning of the Gospel that the fourth century Church of Rome had literally thrown away.  Like all genuine spiritual writings, the Gospels emphatically state that the personage of Jesus did not openly reveal what was called the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God to the multitude of people -- i.e., "And the disciples came and said to Him, Why do You speak to them in parables? He answered and said to them, Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given" (Matt 13:10-11 NKJ) -- and when properly understood, it was not that Yeshua/Jesus did not -- but rather, could not -- and the reality of why he could not, remains as true and valid today, as it did when the Gospels were written.   Paul, who had been taken up into the Kingdom, stated that without the transformation of the lower nature that is essential to the mystical path of TheWay, that the believers will look upon the Mysteries of the Kingdom as "foolishness" ( http://DivineManna.org#literal ).  Just as important for the modern believer to recognize, is the fact that Paul warned that it was "unlawful" for those who had been brought into the Kingdom -- and had been nourished by the Divine Manna of the Kingdom -- to even reveal to the organic believers of the simple faith the Mysteries of the Kingdom -- i.e., I was "...caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter" (2 Cor 12:4-5 NKJ).   Which is also why Paul warned that the believers of an organic natural mind, will judge and condemn the spiritual essence of the Gospel, as "foolishness"!!!   But more importantly, what this means is that, even in my attempt to explain the mass confusion with respect to those who attempt to read the scriptures without having brought about the necessary spiritual transformation of the lower nature, the very words that I express will be rejected and seen as "foolishness".

Paul portrayed the written word of the scriptures as the "letter that killeth" (see http://Ebionite.com/defeat.htm ). Why? It is impossible to understand the inner spiritual meaning of the scriptures, without the transformation, opening and Anointing of the mind of the disciple -- i.e., "Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures" (Luke 24:45).  And the fact that the Pharisees had thrown away what Jesus called the Key of Knowledge ( http://KeyOfKnowledge.org ), and attempted to read the scriptures without first bringing about the necessary spiritual transformation and this opening and enlightenment of the mind, is why Jesus portrayed them as the offspring of the Devil -- i.e., "Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it" (John 8:43-44 NKJ). And once you begin to truly understand what is being portrayed in the above words, all the accepted traditional authorities who have attempted to study the written word of the scriptures "...from [their] own (carnal organic) resources -- but that they each fail to understand that they are "...speak[ing] from [their] own resources" -- and thus, the whole framework of their thinking is drawn from a mindset that parallels that of the Pharisees who Jesus condemned as not understanding the true meaning of the scriptures.

To even begin to understand what is presented to the reader in the above -- and why Jesus portrayed the Torah Observant Pharisees as the offspring of the Devil -- you must first understand why Jesus commanded: “But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren” (Matt 23:8 NKJ).   And it is in this one very important statement that neither believer, nonbeliever, clergy, scholar or critic understands, that is the paramount cause of their error and folly.   Who is the One Teacher?   Among the original Ebionite Nazirene disciples of Jesus who were condemned by both the Jews and the Christians as heretics and apostates, the One Teacher was portrayed as the True Prophet ( http://TheThreeLies.com#TrueProphet ) -- and it was warned that only those who become the "good ground" in the parable of the Sower and the Seed, can be taught by the True Prophet -- to the degree that they can themselves become Anointed (Messiah/Christ)-- i.e., "These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you", writes the disciple John.  "But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him" (1 Jn 2:26-29 NKJ).   What we have here is what is traditionally called the Second Coming -- with the factual reality that this Second Coming is not in the outer world -- but rather, in the inner world of one's mind and being.   And the necessary "...practice [of] righteousness" in the above equation, has absolutely nothing in common with the blind belief of manmade Church doctrines which is promoted by Christians today -- but rather, the very thinking, lifestyle and mindset of the sincere seeker who strives to do as Jesus taught, and seek the Kingdom (within).

Once rightly understood, the objective of the scriptures are about birth -- i.e., the next stage of birth that is experienced by the sincere follower of Yeshua/Jesus who embraces these teachings -- and has absolutely nothing to do with doomsday prophet predictions of the end of the outer world as we know it.    This can be demonstrated by simply examining how we translate Matthew 24:8, where the King James Bible states that Armageddon is the "…beginning of sorrows"; the New Living Translation states it is "…the beginning of the horrors to come"; with the correct and little used interpretation by those who stand on our street corners proclaiming that we should repent being found in the Revised Standard Version where it reads that "…all this is but the beginning of the birth-pangs".  Perhaps the answer to the problem was best put into perspective by that 60’s philosopher Bob Dylan during that time of his life when he was a student of Hebrew Mysticism, when he said: "He who’s not busy being born, is busy dying"!

When the Jews of a carnal mindset asked Yeshua (Joshua/Jesus) when the expected kingdom would come, to their own demise he spoke of a great truth that has been continually ignored by the doomsday prophets and the people of the simple faith who were influenced by the manmade doctrines of the Church of Rome. Yeshua said that the kingdom will never come upon the earth in the manner that carnal men predict, because it is "inside of you" (Lk 17:20-21). That the disciples of the Lord experienced these "pangs of birth" when they were themselves born into the kingdom, can be seen in the words of Peter at Pentecost when he said: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord’" (Acts 2:14-21 NIV).   And perhaps an even greater folly of the modern Church is seen in their philosophical interpretation of this next stage of birth by virtue of saying a prayer accepting Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.   As witnessed to by the disciples: "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22 NKJ).  

This next stage of birth is not philosophical -- in the manner of modern Church doctrine -- but is an actual opening of the mind and the passing from the physical to the spiritual -- an Anointing (Messiah/Christ) of the mind that results in the Enlightenment of the disciple as presented by the disciple John in the words: "But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him."   And it is in this struggle with one's own lower nature that Paul states must be overcome -- i.e., "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature" (Col 3:5 NIV). To the degree that Paul warned: “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Rom 8:13 KJV).   Thus, the Gospel has absolutely nothing in common with the static faith of the modern Church -- but rather, the entering into a higher state of mind and being where every single thought is brought into the Anointing -- i.e., "…take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Cor 10:5 NIV).   Thus, those who are truly the followers of Messiah/Christ, become so attuned to the indwelling spirit and the Kingdom, that their every word is not only intentional and conscious -- but has the capacity to connect spirit and flesh -- to the degree that Yeshua/Jesus stated: "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment" (Matt 12:36 KJV).

These biblical verses are rarely used today because they represent concepts that would be considered extreme and fanatical from the perspective of both believers and non-believers in our modern-day culture.  In fact, everything in our present-day society has been engineered by what the Apostle calls the god of this world, to inhibit the fulfilling of these necessary ingredients in the process of the next stage of birth that the Bible states is absolutely necessary if we are to enter into Life.  Thus, we must pose the question: Are these requirements that are very clearly set down in the scriptures really extreme and fanatical, as we believe today? If it is true that our natural seed-mind is embryonic -- and is in fact portrayed as the seed that is sown in the body in the parable of the Sower and the Seed -- and if we do not succeed in being born a second time, we will fail to inherit the eternal life that is promised in the scriptures, then there is a whole other dimension to the controversy that few believers or non-believers today have even begun to contemplate.  The fact that throughout the scriptures we are continually presented with the theme that man has three natures -- physical, soul and spirit -- conveys the great reality that in order to become complete and fulfill the requirement of Matthew 5:48 pertaining to the need to be perfect, like our Heavenly Father, we must ourselves evolve through three separate and distinct stages of birth.

Carnal man, who is of a natural organic state of physical being, is limited to less than ten percent of his potential of mind, because the mind associated with his physical body is embryonic -- i.e., a seed that has been planted in the physical vessel he is presently inhabiting while in this world -- and it is the teachings of The Way that guides him through the next stages of birth that permit him to become a being of Permanence, and thereby enter into the Life that is promised in the Bible.  If our failure to develop our seed-mind to where it is able to be born into the Kingdom is synonymous with a fetus that physically fails to develop, then our fate will be similar to that of an embryo that has miscarried -- and from the perspective of our absolute need to be born in order to enter into Life, then the warnings with respect to Armageddon are neither extreme or fanatical!  Moreover, the above requirements where we are told to be conscious of every word, and capture every thought to Messiah/Christ, and bring the natural passions of the physical body under control, would then be understood as being absolutely necessary to the development of mind in order to embrace the next stage of development and eventual birth in spirit.

One only has to open the pages of the Bible to see that the whole of the New Testament teachings is concerned with ethics, morality, and the manner in which each of us treats our brothers and sisters. The requirement is that we must be perfect, as our Heavenly Father is perfect (Mt 5:48). This state of perfection is referred to as the fulfillment of the Royal Law of God, and is measured in our forgiveness, acceptance and love of our fellow man.  From a New Covenant perspective, whatever is divisive, and not in accord with the Royal Law, is of this world, and is an obstacle to our birth into the Kingdom.  It is from this perspective that the requirement in the Book of the Revelation is set before us in the words: "Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful" (Rev 21:27 NIV).  This same truth was expressed by Isaiah where it is written: "And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it" (Isa 35:8 NIV). And this same truth is expressed in the words of Yeshua/Jesus when he warned: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matt 7:13-14 NIV). The "narrow gate" that Yeshua speaks that we must open in order for us to be born into the Kingdom, has its parallels in the birth canal that serves as the gate that each of us has emerged through when we physically entered into this present world.  That the next stage of birth has its similarities, is merely the result that all realities are designed in accordance with the same Divine Pattern of Creation.

What is truly important for us to see in these solemn words spoken by the Lord, is that only those who "enter through the narrow gate" will enter into Life -- i.e., it is not those who believe, but those who follow in the footsteps who are the Genuine Christian, Israelites, and disciples of TheWay.  In order to enter into the Kingdom, the disciple must be bathed in the healing waters of consecration that cleanses them of all defilements of this world.   Therefore, the people who embrace the culture and thinking of this world, even when they call themselves Christian, are those who walk the "broad… road that leads to destruction". What Yeshua warns us is that we cannot walk two paths -- it is either the one or the other -- and philosophical Christians will neither go to Heaven, to Glory, or inherit eternal life -- without entering through the narrow gate that is the entrance to the Kingdom.   Moreover, if this is not accomplished while we are alive in the physical body in which we presently dwell, then we will have failed.

The Bible continually warns us that the path that leads to the second birth and entrance into the Kingdom is not easy.   The strife of the inner war within ourselves as embodied in the symbols of Armageddon is seen in the words: "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22 NKJ). Thus, in the same way that a woman travails in labor to bring a child into this world, we must ourselves endure the "…many tribulations" of spiritual labor to be born into the Kingdom of God.   Since the Kingdom is within us, and Armageddon is therefore not an historical event -- but more factually, a spiritual event in the life of the disciple in search of Truth -- we must then totally re-evaluate everything we think we know about both the Gospel Message, and the life we are presently living.   In fully comprehending these biblical statements in relation to the whole purpose of the teachings of The Way, let us again examine the definitive statement which conveys to us the very essence of the Gospel -- and especially the Revelation of John: "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie" (Rev 22:14-15 NKJ).

If the text of the Revelation represented the end of the world, as is commonly believed by the majority of Christians today, then why are those who remain outside the city portrayed as "...dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie"?  Armageddon, then, indicates the disciples personal tribulation described as the "pangs of birth", as he endeavors to overcome his own lower carnal nature through the crucifixion of what is symbolized by the flesh, in order that he can possess the Knowledge of the fruit of the Tree of Life, transcend the natural barriers of this world, and "...enter through the gates into the city".

The objective of the teachings of Yeshua/Jesus and TheWay, is to bring about the necessary development of mind and transformation of our lower nature and physical being -- with the escaping of this, the "outer darkness", which has it's parallels in the analogy of Plato's Cave (see http://DivineStrategery.com#Plato ) -- with the escaping of the disciple from the illusion of this world which Jesus portrayed as the Far Country in the parable of the prodigal son  -- and the direct learning brought about through the unity of the True Prophet (Logos/Son of God) within each of us.   

It has been speculated that those writings known as the Clementine Homilies (the disciple of the Apostle Peter), represents the original Ebionite Nazirene teachings which have long been suppressed by the Church -- and it is in these writings that the above reference to the One Teacher is explained by Peter where it is written: "And therefore I advise not only wise men, but indeed all men who have a desire of knowing what is advantageous to them, that they seek after the true Prophet; for it is He alone who knoweth all things, and who knoweth what and how every man is seeking. For He is within the mind of every one of us, but in those who have no desire of the knowledge of God and His righteousness, He is inoperative; but He works in those who seek after that which is profitable to their souls, and kindles in them the light of knowledge. Wherefore seek Him first of all; and if you do not find Him, expect not that you shall learn anything from any other. But He is soon found by those who diligently seek Him through love of the truth, and whose souls are not taken possession of by wickedness. For He is present with those who desire Him in the innocence of their spirits, who bear patiently, and draw sighs from the bottom of their hearts through love of the truth; but He deserts malevolent minds, because as a prophet He knows the thoughts of every one. And therefore let no one think that he can find Him by his own wisdom, unless, as we have said, he empty his mind of all wickedness, and conceive a pure and faithful desire to know Him. For when any one has so prepared himself, He Himself as a prophet, seeing a mind prepared for Him, of His own accord offers Himself to his knowledge”. And this was the very reason that Yeshua stated to the Pharisees that the Kingdom would never come upon the earth in the manner that carnal men look for it -- for it is within you (Luke 17:20-21) -- which reality is further detailed at http://GateOfEden.com ).

While many Atheists and nonbelievers have perpetually raised the issue that on the face of the Gospel message: "The Jesus of the Gospels bears a striking resemblance to other ancient heroes and the figureheads of pagan savior cults" -- and while this is a typical statement by countless scholars and historians, the fact of the matter is that because they each fail to understand both the objective of the scriptures, as well as the language of the soul the scriptures are written in -- they all arrive at an equally flawed conclusion.   Thus, like the misguided believers, they fail to heed the important warning that: "...Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?”   And once the flawed conclusions of the critics is understood, their error is equal to those who are portrayed as the "Contemporary Christians [who] are largely ignorant of the origins of their religion." To the degree that in an interview with Christianity Today, Brian McLaren stated: "One of the problems is that the average Christian in the average church who listens to the average Christian broadcasting has such an oversimplified understanding of both the Bible and of church history - it would be deeply disturbing for them to really learn about church history" (see Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right).  And when rightly understood, this same warning was presented from a very different perspective in the words: “Biblical scholars were not disturbed by what they found in the Dead Sea Scrolls because they had known all along that the origin of Christianity was not what was commonly supposed to have been” (A. Powell Davies quoted by Millar Burrows in More Light on the Dead Sea Scrolls). The problem that the scholars who note the "...striking resemblance to other ancient heroes and the figureheads of pagan savior cults", is seen in the fact that the accounts of these other ancient heroes are also written in the language of the soul, and neither are these other religions which are put forth as "...figureheads of pagan savior cults" understood with any greater depth, than the mystical Gnostic accounts of the New Testament.

The great Truth that none of the culturally accepted experts, scholars, clergy or philosophers have all failed to understand, is the fact that regardless of the ancient religious tradition, the inner core and scriptural authors of each of these ancient religions, were all confronted by the profound reality that the mind of organic man which Paul portrays as being of a "natural" consciousness ( http://DivineManna.org#literal ), is incapable of understanding the higher reality of the soul and what Jesus portrayed as the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God.  Which means that in all cases, not only were each of these authors and core religious groups incapable of portraying in the common language of their cultures the Truth that they knew -- but that each of these religious groups had to employ the mystic language of the soul, in order to convey essential Truths to those who understood the objectives of the scriptures, and the application of what Jesus called the Key of Knowledge ( http://KeyOfKnowledge.org ).

While Christians like to see themselves as inheritors of the Kingdom by virtue of their belief and what is called Replacement Theology of the Roman Church, they ignore the words: "And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt 8:11-12 NKJ).   Who will come from the east and west?   What is the "outer darkness"?   The Common Theme and core of all religions at their essence that is not understood by the outer body of believers, is portrayed in the parable of the Prodigal Son -- which in many respects, parallels the analogy of Plato's Cave (see http://DivineStrategery.com#Plato -- or, what is presented in the completion of the cycle from the Alpha to the Omega as portrayed in Jewish Mysticism in the Zohar: “All souls are subject to the trials of transmigration; and men do not know the designs of the Most High with regard to them… The souls must re-enter the absolute substance whence they have emerged. But to accomplish this end they must develop all the perfections, the germ of which is planted in them; and if they have not fulfilled this condition during one life, they must commence another, a third, and so forth, until they have acquired the condition which fits them for reunion with God”.  That the vast majority of people are totally ignorant of not only the true meaning of the scriptures, but also the higher reality of their own souls and the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God, is because they dwell in what Jesus portrayed as the "outer darkness" of mind and being (see http://DivineStrategery.com#OuterDarkness ). Thus, the common symbols of all religions, represent the universal journey of the soul that only a handful of seekers ever truly come to understand the reality of.  That these symbols employed in the scriptures are themselves universal, is portrayed by G.R.S. Mead in his book entitled Fragments of a Faith Forgotten, where this explanation is put forth: “…what the Gnostics projected onto the screen… [in the form of a ] picture of the universe was in reality a picture of their own minds. Its mythology is a symbolic portrayal, almost a deliberate one, of the forces which operate in the structuring and evolution of the human personality”. And it was for this reason that Carl Jung called the Gnostic Christians the worlds first and foremost psychologists who understood the very fabric of human consciousness. Moreover, while the body of believes don't themselves understand the inner spiritual reality of the scriptures, they are led to believe and embrace them, because the universal symbols used in the written narrative of the scriptures act as a catalyst which connects them to an inner reality of soul and spirit that they don't yet comprehend with any depth of understanding.

What all these religious traditions share in common, is that the inner spiritually enlightened core were all turned upon and murdered (see http://Ebionite.com/prologue.htm ), and their scriptures which were promoted by unenlightened priests, politicians and institutionalized religion, were very quickly corrupted (see http://BibleCorruption.com ).  Few people ever come to understand the Laws ( http://DivineStrategery.com#TheLaws ) which hold them spellbound in the illusion of Plato's Cave -- which Jesus portrayed as a type of prison.  And it is for this reason that the Apostle Peter in the Homilies warns with respect to the True Prophet that Jesus portrayed as the One Teacher: “Hence, O beloved Clement", proclaims Peter, “if you would know the things pertaining to God, you have to learn them from Him alone, because He alone knows the truth. For if any one else knows anything, he has received it from Him or from His disciples”. And the philosophical and theological premise that all modern accepted authorities (pro and con) begin on, is that Jesus was wrong and did not know what he was saying.

@@All those who escape the illusion of Plato's Cave, come to understand the journey of the soul from the Alpha of absolute ignorance, to the Omega of Enlightened Light and Knowledge, which must be accomplished over the course of many lifetimes. And the fact that this essential teaching was removed and outlawed from Christianity, is easily demonstrated (see http://ChristianReincarnation.org ). And once the mystical path of TheWay is truly understood -- and the fact that the escape from the illusion of Plato's Cave is through an inner dimension of mind -- only then can the sincere seeker begin to understand the reason why Jesus taught the necessity of living the Consecrated Life in TheWay -- seeking to transform yourself into what is portrayed by AskMoses.com as the Final Temple (see http://TheThreeLies.com#temple ) -- and this will enable you to enter within the Holy of Holies within you, and learn from the True Prophet who will not only open and Anoint your mind and understanding, but will reveal all the Mysteries of life, the soul, and the Kingdom to the few who prepare themselves to make the journey. And that those who are quoted in the DVD The God Who Was Not have not themselves made the necessary journey in TheWay -- and themselves dwell under the illusion of Plato's cave and the "outer darkness", is the reason why they fail to understand the the historical Jesus was a man who overcame the Laws within himself, and achieved Absolute Unity with the Logos of God.

The problem is seen in the fact that in the process of reinterpreting the gospel in a very carnal and Pagan manner of thinking, the fourth-century Church of Rome severed the believer from advancing beyond the elementary level of spiritual advancement.   Yet, in order for their priests, religious leaders, and aligned political authorities to remain in control, it became necessary for them to not only suppress the inner core of spiritual believers who knew the Truth -- but to edit and corrupt the scriptures in order to make them support the doctrines of Pagan Rome (see http://BibleCorruption.com ).   And once the conflict of flesh and spirit is understood, it is easily demonstrated that this same corruption of truth has equally attacked all religions, the world over.   From a Christian perspective, the very leaders of the Church which called itself Orthodox, killed anyone who even mentioned the Spiritual Gospel of Christ that the Apostle Paul wrote can only be perceived by men who have overcome their carnal nature, and have themselves become spiritual.   In the words of Prof. Elaine Pagles in her book, The Gnostic Gospels, the condemnation of the early Gnostic Christians by the Roman Church had “political implications”.   In her book, The Gnostic Gospels, she openly acknowledges a great fact that most Christians today are ignorant of -- i.e., “It is the winners who write history - their way."   And then she then writes: "No wonder, then, that the viewpoint of the successful majority has dominated all traditional accounts of the origin of Christianity… It suggests that these religious debates - questions of the nature of God, or of Christ - simultaneously bear social and political implications that are crucial to the development of Christianity as an institutional religion.  In simplest terms, ideas which bear implications contrary to that development come to be labeled as heresy; ideas which implicitly support it become orthodox”.  

What she said was that the denunciation of the Gnostic Christians was “crucial to the development of Christianity as an institutional religion.  In simplest terms, ideas which bear implications contrary to that development come to be labeled as heresy; ideas which implicitly support it become orthodox”.   But what is crucial to understand, is the very nature and reality of the word Gnosis -- which is the source of the word Gnostic.   And the crux of the problem is not understood by the vast majority of faith-based believers, until it is recognized that the true definition of Gnosis, is that Sacred Knowledge that is imparted to those sincere seekers and disciples who bring about the next stage of birth, and learn directly from the True Prophet that Jesus portrayed as the One Teacher.  

In order to explain away the many biblical references to the Mysteries of God that the political priests of the fourth-century Roman Church could not comprehend, they created dogma and doctrines that were based upon purely human perceptions of the Word.   Literally, they re-invented God, Jesus, and the gospel message, in order to make it compatible to the Pagan mindset and understanding.   In doing this, they threw away the Keys of Knowledge that opens the door to the inner Kingdom that exists within the mind of man, and set the church on a course that severed all Christians for the ages to follow from the very essence of the Word itself.   They did this for the exact same reasons as did the Sadducees and Pharisees before them -- i.e., in order to insert themselves between the believer and God, in order to maintain political control of the masses of people.

The present-day Christian world is evidence that believers could forever argue over what belief is true, or more true, but we would gain very little from this exercise in futility.   Once it is realized that what we are arguing over is what the Apostle calls the “milk” of the gospel, which equates to an elementary level of Christian understanding, the sincere believer must recognize the need to advance into the higher levels of instruction in the Word.

From the perception of our present-day understanding, what should be truly disturbing to the reader is the assertion that the few who were taught the Mysteries were chosen for this exalted position prior to even being born.   Moreover, in this assertion there is still another paradox that cannot be answered by the modern believer: If Jesus could teach the Mysteries to a chosen few -- and they could be comprehended by these few -- why couldn’t these Mysteries then be taught to all people?

The very recognition of this fact should invoke question in the minds of the reader -- and this question should bring about still another realization as to who would be deemed worthy to hear the Spiritual Gospel of Christ -- which Gospel Jesus called the Mysteries of God.   Contrary to the Good News that we preach in our churches today, in the very manner in which he taught, we must recognize that Jesus did not treat all people equal.   This is of the utmost importance because if we ourselves are to embrace a higher understanding of the Word, it is absolutely imperative that we understand why he was not all-inclusive as we are today, and did not teach all people as equals.   What the Bible very clearly states is that only his disciples were initiated into what Jesus called the “secrets of the kingdom”, while the multitudes of people that he spoke to were taught in parables.   Why?   Contrary to what is preached in our churches today, the Bible itself states that Jesus the reason he taught in this manner was to conceal the true meaning of what was being revealed to a very select few.   To begin to comprehend this very clearly proclaimed biblical fact, is to start the process of opening one’s mind to the higher revelation of the Gospel message.

Sincere Christians today are very much as the multitudes of listeners who were present when Jesus physically spoke the words that are recorded in our Bibles.   Like the modern Christian, the people who listened to Jesus speak very much believed they were hearing the revelation of the Word -- but what they were actually hearing was a teaching that was appropriate for the level of their own individual understanding.   In comprehending this fact, it is equally important to recognize that what the Bible very clearly affirms is that for their own spiritual well being, Jesus permitted them to believe this great misconception -- and unbeknown to the multitude of believers, this continues to remain true in our present day.  

Fundamentally, what we assert today is that what the Bible actually states is not fair!   We demand a universal and all-inclusive redeemer who will save all people who come to him through the preaching of the word and the church.   But is the Good News and the church today the same as that which was envisioned by the original disciples of Christ?   We would like to believe it is -- but everything we have learned has demonstrated the great flaw that exists in what we traditionally believe with respect to genuine Christian foundings.

To our own demise we therefore reject the very core teaching of Jesus that is contained throughout the scriptures.   Moreover, in the reinterpretation of the gospel, what the modern Christian believes today is that Jesus has changed his ways -- and, in a manner of speaking, they believe that he has repented, and seen the error of his ways.   Because we have recreated Jesus in the image of an all-inclusive redeemer, we reject the reality of the Bible, and embrace the doctrine that he no longer treats people today in the same manner that he treated his hearers at the time he appeared on earth.  

What is portrayed in the New Testament scriptures is not a system of belief -- but rather, one that describes the absolute need to evolve through the next stage of birth.   There are only two choices -- i.e., “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matt 7:13-14 NIV).   Having lost the Key of Knowledge, Christians no longer possess the means to open the “narrow gate”, and thus the road that leads to Life has been closed to them.   More than at any time in the past we now know that in the original Gospel that Jesus taught prior to its corruption by Rome, unless we walk in The Way, all other roads leads to destruction.

When Jesus taught the people the parable of the sower and the seed (Mt 13:1-23; Mk 4:1-34; Lk 8:4-15), what he conveyed was that only when man embraces the Word in purity and truth, and manifests the Gospel in their life in word, thought, desire and deed, can they expect to reap the rewards of the Good News that Jesus revealed.   It is not a matter of faith and belief -- but rather, one of our experiencing the next stages of birth.   This means that a Jew who embraced the tenets of the Sadducees and Pharisees who preached dead works -- or a Gentile who had the mindset of the Nations and embraced a religion of redemption -- or a Samaritan whose walk with the Lord was stagnated because they did not possess a pure understanding of the Word of God -- or a person who is as the majority of people, and live a sense bound life -- or any one else that did not themselves totally surrender to the essence of Gospel thought, could not walk in TheWay.   They could believe -- and their belief brought them grace so long as they at least tried to live in accordance with the written word -- but, as the Apostle himself warned, their belief or faith alone could not bring about perfection or completion.  

From the perspective of the Word: A child who attends school in the faith and belief that they will be educated -- without paying attention and actually doing the work -- with little personal interaction and involvement in the learning experience, will benefit little from the school environment.   Even though they are in attendance, and went through the physical motions of attending class and making an appearance, the necessary change and development of mind cannot transpire until the child begins to seriously apply themselves to what is being taught.  

With respect to the parable of the sower and the seed, perhaps even more important to the modern Christian is the warning of Jesus regarding the scriptures: “Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?” (Mark 4:13-14 KJV).   What this means is that, unless we read the scriptures through the mindset of the purity of the Word -- unless we are ourselves the good ground that permits the seed to mature and grow -- we will not be able to comprehend the true meaning of the scriptures.   These words are a warning to Atheists, casual believers, and even those who attempt to take a scholarly or intellectual approach to the Bible -- i.e., that without a total change of mind, there is no way that they will ever understand the true meaning of what is written.   Moreover, to the people of the simple faith these words are a caution that they will never perceive anything greater than the surface understanding -- i.e., the milk of the gospel -- until they release themselves from the shackles of manmade doctrines.

What Jesus warns us in the words: “Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?” -- is that unless we are willing to come to terms with the message of this parable, and become the good ground within which the Word is implanted, we are wasting our time when we attempt to understand the true meaning of the rest of the scriptures.   Therefore, from a biblical perspective, we cannot believe in any manner that we choose -- we cannot live in any manner that we choose -- and we cannot pursue either life or the Kingdom in any manner that we choose -- and still be able to comprehend the true meaning of the Bible.   These words represent a Gnostic manifesto as seen in the declaration that there is only One interpretation of the text of the scriptures which are written so as to conceal the Mysteries of God from the people who walk the broad-way of life, and that One interpretation can only be taught by the Anointing (Christ) of the Light.   The problem is that the Light can only reveal the Truth to those who are willing to live their lives in the Truth.

For the most part, the modern Christian Church -- a Church that, by its very institutionalized nature, cannot come to terms with what we now know about the true foundings of the religion that Jesus taught, has a number of serious obstacles to overcome.   The problem is that the Gospel was born in a spiritual bedrock that is totally alien to the manner in which we think and view God and Creation today.   The New Testament mandate that each one of us would have to change both our way of thinking, and manner in which we live, is a message that most modern Christians reject.   Why?   They simply do not believe what the Bible warns, regardless of the fact that this warning is one of the paramount teachings of the Bible.   They see the words -- they perceive what it says -- and then they say: It can't be talking about me!   It must therefore be making reference to someone else.

Fundamentally, the greater number of people who call themselves Christian embrace a feel-good philosophical Christ, and demand that God lowers His standards.   They do not desire to live in accordance with the Commandments of God -- they view such a concept as an unnecessary restraint upon their lives.   Because their religion is philosophical, they have adopted the doctrine that they are exempt from the requirement of works.   In order to alleviate the scriptural mandate for absolute change, they desire God to be all-inclusive, and accept them as they are on the basis that they believe and have faith in Jesus.   What they fail to realize is that this redemptive doctrine is native to Mithraism, which was the universal religion of Pagan Rome in the third and fourth centuries, and has little in common with the original Gospel of the New Covenant!

"I worship the God of our fathers

As a follower of The Way"
(Acts 24:14 NIV)